ANCHOR LEAD
WHETHER IT'S FOR A SIMPLE PROCEDURE OR LIFE SAVING SURGERY...AT SOME POINT- YOU OR A LOVED ONE WILL REQUIRE A HOSPITAL STAY. WITH RISKS OF INFECTION AND EVEN WRONGFUL SURGERY...PICKING THE RIGHT FACILITY IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. SCOTT HANSON GIVES YOU A HEADS UP ABOUT HOSPITALS ...WHAT TO CHECK OUT BEFORE YOU CHECK IN.

SOT
KEY @: (:02, too short to key) David Hines, Heart Surgery Patient
"I mean it's very, very frightening."

TRACK ONE Length: :02
YOU'D BE FRIGHTENED TOO IF YOU WERE DAVID HINES.

SOT
KEY @: :08 David Hines, Heart Surgery Patient
"...my cardiologist recommended very strongly that I have valve repair or valve replacement surgery."

TRACK TWO Length: :07
SO DAVID BEGAIN HUNTING FOR THE PERFECT HOSPITAL--USING THE INTERNET TO LOCATE THE FACILITY HE WOULD TRUST WITH HIS LIFE...

SOT
KEY @: :21 Lisa McGiffert, Consumers Union
"You can't just go by the face of it, that a hospital says 'we're the best because we're the specialists.'"

TRACK THREE Length: :10
HOW CAN YOU TELL WHICH HOSPITAL'S BEST? LISA MCGIFFERT (mac-GIF-fert) OF CONSUMERS UNION SAYS DO YOUR HOMEWORK...A GOOD WAY TO START...IS BY VISITING A TRUSTED WEBSITE THAT RATES HOSPITALS.

SOT
KEY @: :38 Lisa McGiffert, Consumers Union
"These sites give people more concrete evidence about how a hospital performs."

TRACK FOUR Length: :12
MCGIFFERT SAYS SITES LIKE HEALTHGRADES...QUALITYCHECK...LEAPFROG AND A-H-D OFFER INFORMATION INCLUDING SPECIALITIES AVAILABLE AND MORTALITIY RATES. SOME EVEN ALLOW SIDE BY SIDE COMPARISONS OF HOSPITALS.

SOT
KEY @: :57 Lisa McGiffert, Consumers Union
"Most of these sites are pretty objective."

TRACK FIVE Length: :09
BUT DON'T STOP THERE...EXPERTS SAY- TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR AND TAKE A FEW ROAD TRIPS- ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE TIME BEFORE SURGERY... THAT'S HOW DAVID PICKED HOSPITAL.

SOT
KEY @: 1:09 David Hines, Heart Surgery Patient
"You need to see it, to see what the facility looks like. See how clean it is."

STAND-UP CLOSE
WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT THESE STATISTICS, DON'T JUST LOOK AT THE LAST MONTH...MCGIFFERT SAYS LOOK AT A HOSPITAL'S HISTORY TO SEE HOW IT'S PERFORMED OVER TIME. FOR HEADS UP! I'M SCOTT HANSON.

ANCHOR TAG
SOME SITES MAY NOT UPDATE THEIR INFORMATION AS QUICKLY AS OTHERS SO YOU MAY WANT TO CALL THE HOSPITAL DIRECTLY FOR THE LATEST NUMBERS OR STATISTICS.

SOURCES

Lisa McGiffert
Consumers Union
(512) 477-4431 ext. 115

Ms. McGiffert is the Senior Policy Analyst at Consumers Union, a nonprofit information organization serving consumers.

Sarah Loughran
Senior VP, Healthgrades.com
(303) 716-6502

Healthgrades.com offers consumers critiques on doctors and hospitals.

Mark Forstneger
Qualitycheck.org
(630) 792-5914

Mr. Forstneger is the spokesperson for Qualitycheck.org, a site produced by The Joint Commission On Accreditation Of Healthcare Organizations. JCAHO is a nongovernmental organization that establishes standards for the operation of hospitals and nursing homes.

Paul Shoemaker
AHD.com
(502) 894-8418

Mr. Shoemaker is the president of AHD.com, a site providing hospital information online.